As I've said elsewhere, if we don't go down this season we go down with an embarrassingly low points tally next season. The rebuild will take 3 or 4 years as we have far too many players on big salaries and long contracts that they wouldn't get elsewhere.
Our forward line next season in the Championship of Isaac Success, Andre Gray and Jerome Sinclair will strike fear into the hearts of even the sternest of defences. 75 goals by Christmas. Between them that is, not each. I'm not an idiot!
Foster might go for a nominal fee, be surprised if Dawson, Gray or that ilk leave. Turkey awaits the likes of Success and Penaranda, might be able to wange a decent fee out of them
Whatever group of idiots and/or kids are put in next season, I guarantee we'll score more goals. Might even get that Lasagna guy over if Udinese go down.
I'd say Foster would probably stay, though he might go and challenge a younger keeper elsewhere. Either way, I want to see Dahlberg properly challenge, he's stalled a bit of late no thanks to us, but the Championship would be a good platform for him. Don't think any of our bang average CBs will leave, we could definitely improve on them in the Championship, but sadly the Pozzos would definitely use relegation as an excuse to persist with them. Wilmot would be a useful addition, although he's hardly been a regular at Swansea this season. Femenia might stay, he's mediocre at the top level and 29, but Masina might attract attention elsewhere, he's been decent overall this season and is in his prime. Be a task getting Janmaat off the wage bill, fingers crossed some team in Turkey or somewhere like that is stupid enough to want him. The club seems keen on keeping Estupinan, though I'd imagine he'd be off if we go down Naturally, Doucoure would leave, Capoue probably too, even though he's getting on in age. Before I'd have been hopeful of keeping Hughes and Chalobah, but Hughes has been our best player of late, and Chalobah may have burnt bridges. A season in the Championship would do Quina the world of good, but what's going to become of him after Friday? Besides, his attitude has been called into question in the past, can he make the most of his undoubted gifts? Cleverley naturally stays, though hopefully wouldn't be any more than a bit-part player. Would love to see more of Dele-Bashiru, but I don't imagine he'd be a regular yet (same goes for the young lad Daniel Phillips who played the Brentford friendly) Sarr and Deulofeu would be the first ones out the door, followed most likely by Welbeck, Success, Penaranda and the Colombians. Hopefully we'd be able to keep JP (one of our few bright sparks from today, and still very young so a year in the Championship wouldn't be the end of the world for him) and Pussetto seems like he'd be more at home in the Champo (almost as if he were signed with half a mind on the Champo). Like our CB situation, I fear we'd be stuck with Deeney, and we'll probably try either way to get rid of Gray, but I don't see anyone in the Prem stupid enough to take him, or anyone in the Champo willing to match his wages. Positive signs re Ivan Toney, who'd be a very interesting signing at Championship level, at least that would be competition for Deeney
This is the other side of the coin for Gino's idiotic policy of handing out extensions left right and centre to every aging permacrock we're brought in; not only does it discourage us from/allow them to wave away the idea of improving in the position, keeping a handy little logjam that stops both incoming and promising youth players from getting any opportunity as they won't leave voluntarily and no one will pay the fee to buy them, but it also means that, in the event of relegation, we'd be stuck with the vast majority of them, potentially on relatively high wages. I know what you're thinking... that's right: the coin is cursed! Both sides are evil!
Here's a rough draft of what our first XI would look like in the Championship: Foster/Dahlberg Femenia Cathcart/Dawson/Kabasele/Wilmot (New Signing at LB) New Signing New Signing Quina (with Cleverley and TBD as back up, Wilmot filling in from time to time) JP Deeney/New Signing (Toney?) Pussetto I feel we could have a bit of fun with this team in the Championship, depending on our signings, we could be challenging for the play-offs. Obviously though, the stakes are high, we'd need to get back up within the parachute payments period (with the danger of being picked off every season we don't go up), or else we'd become what we were pre-Pozzo. Some very scary cautionary tales near the bottom of the Championship at the moment from teams bigger than us, and if you go back a bit further, teams like Wigan and Leeds (I know they were in huuuuuge financial trouble, but you get my point) came close to promotion in season 2 back in the Football League, only to fall to League 1
Now that I'm fairly resigned to us going down, I'm accepting that it will at least be quite fun watching the wheeling and dealing to rebuild the squad. Transfer windows were truly crazy in those early pozzo champ years
I agree And I certainly dont need a whole season of that misery Better be relegated and begin rebuild. We've been in much worse places Championship isn't that bad
I think you’re dreaming. West Brom fans were happy to get rid of Dawson Two new starting midfielders and lightweight Quina in the middle in a tough league. Again, a young flair Brazillian playing his first full intense season of football in the Champ? Could possibly work but unlikely. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The defence wouldn't be good enough for top 2 for sure, though they wouldn't be an embarrassment, reckon they're still top half Championship level. Not that Brazilian football is as intense as the Championship (wouldn't be expecting JP to play every game in fairness), but he had a busy schedule in the various competitions they have over there, at least that's some evidence he can handle a large workload. Depends on the signings too, could go either way. I don't think whenever we fall into the Championship (be that this season or whenever) we'll immediately be in big trouble, think there's enough there to be top half and (with a fair wind) possibly challenge for play-offs, though we'd need to be looking at promotion soon or else everything gets so much harder
And should we get back we would have owners with great experience of what it takes to stay there I hope!
Well it's all opinions of course but here's my say I do think the Pozzo's take a bit of a bashing unfairly. You have to take owners as a whole package and I think they deserve more credit overall. Due to the money they are on Prem players aren't easy to offload - so I don't think we'd see a mass exodus. Obvious ones to go - assuming the price was right - Deulofeu, Sarr and Doucoure, because these would surely be our most in demand. I'd be gutted to see all 3 go as well. I don't think Deeney would push to leave, and the club would probably want his PR to keep us as high profile as possible in the Champ. And that for me is the problem to any plan to go back up. It's a tragedy watching some of our better players aimlessly chasing left right and centre because we just don't play the ball in the deck enough. If we're playing Football Manager then squad would be Foster, Dahlberg, Kiko, Janmaat, Masina, Estupinan, Dawson, Kabasele, Wilmot, new commanding CB, Doucoure, Capoue, Hughes, Quina, D-B, Chalobah, Sarr, Deulofeu, Pussetto, Pedro, Cucho, Welbeck, Suarez. Out Gomes, Mariappa, Holebas, Cathcart, Success, Gray and Deeney. New manager - young and British who wants to play the ball on the floor and is allowed to develop the squad over a bit of time.
I think you're being harsh on Gino here. We nearly went into administration once before they bought the club.
Genuine question, did we not have debt when the owners took over? Didn’t we almost go bust For small clubs the PL is only really beneficial while you’re in it, Norwich are just about the only team who intentionally benefit from being in it, because every few years they gain promotion but are happy to bank the money and get relegated again. You have to spend to survive, if you don’t spend you dont survive, certainly not for 5 years. The only real exceptions are Burnley and Bournemouth, but the latter are bank rolled and when their managers leave they’ll go down.
Sadly not. Hornets Investment Ltd (HIL) own Watford Football Club Ltd (WFC) and have a charge over all the shares in WFC for the money it has lent WFC As at June 19 when the last accounts were published, HIL has £70m of external debt from XXiii Capital- a third party with no relationship to Pozzos. XXIII Capital have a charge over the ground and effectively the players subject of course to the £50m we still owe on transfer fees WFC has the contractual rights to the TV money and in September 19 took out a loan (no amount specified) from Barclays secured against TV money for the current season. It is conceivable but not certain that we (being HIL who own WFC) have debts significantly above that which we had as at June 19. Even though our financial year ends on Tuesday, we will not know anything more until these accounts are published next Feb/March time. I remember Duxbury saying at a fans forum (i wonder -Covid 19 aside-when there might be another one of these-could do it on line though ?) a year or more ago that the club didn't have any debt only inter company loans. A little disingenuous i thought at the time.
We had c£8m of debt to Lord Ashcrofts company which was secured by a charge over the ground-the club was loss making and we had the Bassini ownership which did almost end in us going bust so on takeover the Pozzos put in their own debt to repay that £8m and the rest is history.
I am not sure we would sell Sarr, I am not sure anyone would come in with a high enough bid, we spent a lot of money on him in the summer.
I think you’re right about wages thing, probably many more would stay than people imagine simply because nobody will pay them what they’re already on with us. Aside from the cost issue with that is motivating those players to perform in the championship though. Many have shown they don’t really care about staying in the PL so don’t see why they’d care playing a league lower.
Well maybe three of them have breached their contracts. Can easily see the club using that against them.
Our team in the championship will look something like this in my opinion; Foster Bachman Dahlberg Femenia ? Dawson Cathcart Mapps Kabasele? (Could be sold) Wilmot Masina (could go back to Italy) ? Hughes Chalobah Cleverley Quina Dele-Bashiru Pedro Cucho (stated that he will be with us regardless of what league we’re in). Deeney Gray Welbeck? ( Deulofeu (just because of his injury, once January comes, he will be off) Pussetto Penaranda I think Hughes and Chalobah will give us one season in the championship to bounce back. With the parachute payments plus transfer sales, we might be ok. Luis Suarez, Estupinan, Sarr, Doucoure and Deulofeu will probably be about £100mil. I think if we go down, we come straight back up. Rare, but I think we will do it.
You seriously think Deulofeu would play even a minutes football in the Championship? He will be the first one out the door, regardless of the injury, and likely to a far bigger and better club.
Lol literally. And FOR THE LOVE OF GOD if Mariappa is still playing next season I will climb The Rookery and jump off.
Depends. It’s a serious injury, teams will want to see if he can rediscover his form. We won’t sell for anything less than £20mil. Teams will want to make sure he’s worth it, match fit and strong enough to finish the season.
Rotten to the ******* core: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...takes-blame-southamptons-second-goal-watford/
The point about a rebuild is a good one. I wonder how much of a difference which league we are in actually makes (regarding who will leave)? How likely are Sarr, Doucoure and Deulofeu (once recovered) to remain, whether we finish 17th or get relegated? It will probably be the difference in Capoue staying or going. Any one else? Maybe Hughes? I think Capoue leaving would be a big loss. He's our best 'footballer' imo. Whoever gets relegated with us will be in a better position to bounce back imo. All have younger, more valuable, squad's- Muff, Villa, Naarch. Or have far more financial clout- Spam.
The only way I see us losing key players if we stay up is if we aren't willing to strengthen and they get the hump. None of our players apart from Sarr are definitely good enough for a top 6/7 team now, and I doubt we'd have signed Sarr for what would be £40m just to let him go after a year (would have to be a crazy offer to let him go)
Perhaps. If we, somehow, manage to stay up Sarr will have to play a blinder. That could easily result in a 'silly' offer being made.
Depends how much teams live off that Liverpool performance he gave - will they think that is he true potential and take a punt on him? Like someone could with Hughes and even a Kabasele ? GD might stay till he is fit but probably go in January at best if we go down.
Players on big salaries will be shipped to Udinese. I don't think it'd be anywhere near as bad as people are making out on this thread. Players like Cleverly, Hughes & Chalobah are clearly better than the championship and have all suffered from a lack of game time IMO. I think we do need an overhaul, but a large part of the problem atm is a complete lack of confidence - get the right coach in with some new additions and we'd be fine. From what i've seen and heard, there aren't any particularly good teams in the championship this season either.
